Jitendra Vaswani At Panel Discussion at Philippines Digital Marketing Event

“Just go out and talk. Be shameless. This is your playground.” 🇵🇭

In the Philippines, I joined a Q&A panel with Sean Si of SEO Hacker and another agency veteran, answering audience questions on growing a digital marketing agency. 🎙️

📊 In this episode, we unpacked:

• 🏷️ Branding lets you charge more
• 🤝 Personal branding and networking
• 🏗️ Sales knowledge and scalable processes
• ⏳ How long does SEO take?
• 🔗 Tools, influencers and email

🎥 Watch the full episode:

🏷️ Branding Lets You Charge More

First question: how does a startup agency grow from small to bigger clients? Sean said the better question is how to get clients to pay you better. A big client paying peanuts is a win-lose relationship. 🏷️

His answer was branding. Many mall products are made in China and simply rebranded, and their perceived value jumps overnight. SEO Hacker walked its talk by ranking #1 for “SEO Philippines”, one of the hardest keywords in the country. That pushed his prices way up, and clients still told him he was the most expensive. For his full story, read Sean Si’s interview. 🔗

🤝 Personal Branding and Networking

My answer: build your personal brand. Neil Patel can charge more because of his big-name clients and features in publications with high-quality readers. 🤝

Interviews on my blog built my brand and connections. At one event, someone who’d seen my Neil Patel interview offered me a paid speaking gig in Europe on the spot, and paid the next week. Early on, I even worked with Payoneer for less money because I knew the brand would open doors. I used to stammer in college, and my mother was shocked to see me speak to thousands. It’s all confidence. For how I met another big name, read how I met Grant Cardone. 🔗

🏗️ Sales Knowledge and Scalable Processes

The third panelist, who’d worked at an agency that grew from small to big clients, split it into two questions. On sales: their salespeople had strong product knowledge, sometimes more current than the SEOs, and prospects could feel it. When needed, they brought in an SEO, PPC or email specialist. 🏗️

On delivery: can you handle a big client? Scaling quickly becomes an operational problem, so document standard processes, so new hires are productive right away. For more on agency growth, read how to grow a seven-figure SEO agency. 🔗

⏳ How Long Does SEO Take?

A school owner asked how long to commit and when to start. Sean and I agreed: start SEO now, because it takes time. I said six months to a year depending on keyword competition, and to use Google Ads and Facebook ads for instant leads, like targeting parents in May before enrollment. ⏳

Sean said one year is a fair chance to see results. In the Philippines, few people click ads because they don’t like being sold to, so SEO tends to work better than SEM there. For more SEO patience, read Hendrik Lennarz’s interview. 🔗

🔗 Tools, Influencers and Email

For SEO checks, Sean suggested WooRank, MySiteAuditor and Ahrefs. SEO spans content, keyword placement, balanced anchor text (not all exact match), speed and security, with over 200 known ranking factors. For audience research, SEMrush shows competitors’ keywords, but skip their branded terms. 🔗

On influencers, SEO Hacker gives free products or stays in exchange for honest blog reviews, pros and cons included, with a link to the client, since lasting rankings beat a quick social spike. For email, MailChimp and Benchmark are fine to start, but Sean preferred AWeber: no free tier means fewer spammers and better deliverability. Keep emails simple and plain. For an influencer-led brand, read Van Oakes’s interview. 🔗

📝 Key Takeaways From My Philippines Panel

• 🏷️ Branding raises what clients will pay
• 🤝 Personal brand and networking open doors
• 🏗️ Document processes before you scale
• ⏳ Start SEO early and use ads for quick wins
• 📧 Keep emails simple for deliverability

❓ FAQs About Jitendra Vaswani

How can a small agency charge more?

Build your brand and prove your skills, like ranking for your own competitive keywords.

How long does SEO take?

The panel suggested six months to a year, depending on competition.

Which email tool did Sean Si prefer?

AWeber, because it has no free tier, which means fewer spammers and better deliverability.

🎙️ More Inside A Hustler’s Brain Interviews You’ll Love

• Take Away From Panel Discussion in 24ADP Pune 2015 [Video]
• Navneet Kaushal: Building a Million-Dollar SEO Agency and Life Lessons 🧐
• Matthew Woodward Live Interview At AWA Asia Bangkok About SEO
• My Talk at 24ADP :How to Take Your Freelancing Business from 400$ to 5000$ in a Month [Video]

What’s been your biggest challenge growing an agency? Tell me in the comments. 💬

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